ELEM 512: Teaching Methods of Social Studies
Allison Eybel
Task 5b
Communicative
Objective/Standard
Anticipatory Set

Students will be able to identify when the Great Depression
occurred and the root causes, specifically the stock market crash
of 1929.
 Students will gain greater understanding about how the Great
Depression might have influenced their families and children like
themselves
 H 1.5.2 Record events on a graphic organizer, such as a calendar
or time line.
 H 2.5.2 Organize historical information from a variety of sources.
 H 8.5.5 Identify the major events of the Great Depression, such
as: stock market crash, Dust Bowl, and migration
Ask a local resident who was alive during the Great Depression to
come to class and share stories about what it was like to grow up
during that time. Ask the speaker if it would be possible to bring in
some personal items from the 1930s. Have students listen to the
speaker’s personal stories, ask questions, and examine the items.
Items could include a flour sack, radio, music records, dolls, homecanned items, kerosene lamps, letters, hats, and other fashions of
1930. Next, ask students to share any stories they may have heard
from family or community members about the Great Depression.
Provide the class a brief overview of what the Great Depression was
and when it occurred.
Review
Ask students in their own words define what the Great Depression is,
and what decade it occurred.
Input/Modeling/
Presentation


To understand one of the primary causes of the Great Depression,
students will be told they have traveled back in time to 1929, right
before the stock market crash. In order to understand the basic
functions of the stock market, students will engage in the Stock
Market Crash Game, together as a class. After the game, students
will be asked why the market crashed, and what the meant for
ordinary Americans. After the activity, students will add “Stock
Market Crash” to the timeline strung in front of the classroom.
Next students will be placed into groups and given pieces of
paper describing historical events complete with pictures.
Students will be required to place these papers in chronological
order and defend their choices. Each group will have a different
set of facts, for example, the dust bowl group will have (minus the
dates):
o 1920-1930’s Bumper crops of wheat across the plains
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ELEM 512: Teaching Methods of Social Studies
Allison Eybel
Task 5b
Check for
Understanding
bring more farmers and more plows to the region
o 1931: Drought begins, small dust storm
o 1933: 30 large dust storms sweep the region
o 1933: Large numbers of people begin to migrate from the
great plains to CA
o 1935: “Black Sunday” occurs with the largest “Black
Blizzard” to date. Dust is swept all the way to the eastern
seaboard.
o 1935: The Drought Relief Service was created
o 1938: WPA and CCC begin to see success in erosion
control tactics
o 1939: The drought ends
 Each group will share the events of their topic in chronological
order with the whole class, and the events will be placed on the
timeline.
 The last item of the timeline will be the start of WWII. Students
will be asked the reasons why they think that the depression
ended with WWII. The teacher will briefly present or show a
video clip on how American emerged from the Great Depression.
 Next students will be given a worksheet that is divided in to two
columns. The first column will have children from different
regions of the country such as child of a migrant worker, child in
the city, or child of CA landowner. The second column will be
headed with the question: What was life like for each of these
children?
 Different stations will be set-up around the room for students to
explore the questions including video clips, short letters or diary
entries, photographs, and other materials such as orphan Annie
comics and radio programs. One station will include the different
possessions each child may have had.
 Students will regroup and share their observations about what
similarities and differences there were between each child’s life
The teacher will then select the top 5 events (such as stock market
crash, the height of the dust bowl, etc.) from the timeline and ask the
class to explain why each was important. At this point, the teacher
will do an informal assessment of student’s comfort level with
material. Students will raise their hands high if they feel they
understand the reasons for the Great Depression and keep their hands
at their sides if students are not quite sure. Students who are unclear
will be assisted with one-on-one help. These actions will be
completed for the other two questions related to the stock market
crash, and the experience of life as a child during the Great
Depression.
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ELEM 512: Teaching Methods of Social Studies
Allison Eybel
Task 5b
Guided Practice
Students will create a chart indicating what life was like for a child
during the 1930’s versus now, including what they did for fun, what
chores they might have done, and what school was like. Afterwards,
students will write an essay on the similarities and differences, as
well as their thoughts and feelings about growing up during the Great
Depression. This journal entry will be graded on a rubric for proper
content and grammar.
Independent
Practice/Evaluation
Students will independently read one of two stories on the Great
Depression and will be asked to write a letter to a friend from the
viewpoint of one of the characters living during the Great Depression.
This activity will be graded on a rubric for content and proper
grammar.
Books choices will include:
 Rose’s Journal: The Story of a Girl in the Great Depression by
Marissa Moss
 Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse
 Children of the Great Depression by Russell Feedman
 Survival in the Storm: The Dust Bowl Diary of Grace
Edwards, by Katelan Janke
Enhancing Transfer
and Retention



Ask students to interview relatives, neighbors, or other
community members that might have been alive during the
Great Depression. Students can write an essay about what
they learned and if the experience of their family was similar
or different to what they learned in class.
Ask students to describe what they learned about the stock
market to another adult, such as a parent or another teacher,
and ask that adult if anything similar has happened in their
lifetime (e.i housing bubble).
Ask students to complete and activity related to their learning
style about life during the Great Depression. This could be
creating a painting or drawing, a poem, a song and dance, a
cause and effect flow chart, or even a play.
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